New assessment finds parrotfish and surgeonfish facing heightened risk of localized extinction 18 July 2012 | News story A recent study conducted for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ found that 86% of the populations of parrotfish and surgeonfish face a low risk of extinction globally, but they do face a heightened risk of extinction regionally—especially in areas like the Coral Triangle. These results were published this week in the journal PLoS ONE. Of the species considered threatened, the Greenback Parrotfish (Scarus trispinosus ) listed as Endangered, and the Bumphead Parrotfish (Bolbometopon muricatum ), listed as Vulnerable, are both large-bodied, long-lived species that are experiencing significant population declines from intense fishing pressure. The Kapingamarangi Surgeonfish (Acanthurus chronixis ), provisionally listed as Vulnerable, is only found in t...